Sticta tomentosa (Sw.) Ach.

Ossowska, Emilia Anna, Moncada, Bibiana, Luecking, Robert, Flakus, Adam, Rodriguez-Flakus, Pamela, Olszewska, Sandra & Kukwa, Martin, 2024, Additional new species and new records of the genus Sticta (lichenised Ascomycota, lobarioid Peltigeraceae) from Bolivia, MycoKeys 105, pp. 21-47 : 21

Sticta tomentosa (Sw.) Ach.

Fig. 8

Description.

For a description, see Moncada (2012) and Moncada et al. (2021a).

Habitat and distribution.

The record of S. tomentosa given here is the first from Bolivia supported by a DNA sequence. The taxon was previously reported from the country by Nylander (1859, 1861) and Herzog (1922). The specimen examined here was found on tree bark in in the lower montane Yungas cloud forest in the Cochabamba Department. Outside Bolivia, S. tomentosa has been reported from South and North America ( Galloway 1995; Moncada 2012) and Africa ( Galloway 1995; Kaasalainen et al. 2023).

Notes.

Sticta tomentosa has palmate, bluish thalli with white cilia, abundant, submarginal apothecia with entire to crenate margins; the lower surface is creamy-white with a sparse, white primary tomentum ( Moncada 2012).

The palmate thallus is characteristic for newly-distinguished S. madidiensis ; however, the taxa differ in the size of the thallus, which is smaller in S. tomentosa (up to 5 cm) with abundant, fasciculate cilia. In addition, S. tomentosa has abundant apothecia, which are absent in S. madidiensis . Both taxa also differ in the structure of the tomentum, which in S. tomentosa , is sparse and absent towards the margin and white to greyish-white towards the centre, whereas in S. madidiensis , the primary tomentum is dense towards the margin and whitish-yellow to dark brown in the centre ( Moncada 2012; Moncada et al. 2021a). Both species are not closely related (Fig. 1 ).

The species may also be confused with the phylogenetically closely-related S. leucoblepharis (Nyl.) Tuck. (Fig. 1 ), but they differ in the colour of the cilia and the density of the tomentum. In S. leucoblepharis , the cilia are golden-brown and longer than in S. tomentosa , while the primary tomentum is dense and sparse towards the margins. In addition, the apothecia are laminal rather than submarginal as in S. tomentosa and smaller (up to 1.5 cm in diameter) and their discs are orange ( Moncada 2012; Moncada et al. 2021a).

Another phylogenetically similar taxon is S. antoniana B. Moncada & Lücking and the two cannot be separated, based on nuITS rDNA sequences ( Moncada et al. 2020; Moncada et al. 2021a). However, there are important morphological differences. Sticta antoniana has an irregular to orbicular and highly-branched thallus, without cilia and with abundant lobules, the primary tomentum is thick and dense, but without secondary tomentum. In S. tomentosa , on the other hand, the thallus is palmate to suborbicular, moderately branched, with abundant cilia and without vegetative propagules, while primary tomentum is sparse and absent towards the margin and with secondary tomentum. Both species produce apothecia, but unlike S. tomentosa , in S. antoniana , they are laminal and with crenate margins ( Moncada et al. 2020; Moncada et al. 2021a).

Specimens examined.

Bolivia. Dept. Cochabamba; Prov. Carrasco, Parque Nacional Carrasco, near Rio Ibrisu, close to Sajtarumi , 17°27'09"S, 65°16'29"W, elev. 2059 m, lower montane Yungas cloud forest, corticolous, 28 Nov 2014, M. Kukwa 15138c (LPB, UGDA) .

Figures

Figure 1. Best-scoring Maximum Likelihood tree of the Sticta target clade containing the new species from Bolivia (red) and the species new to Bolivia and phylogenetically confirmed from Bolivia (blue), based on the fungal ITS barcoding marker. Supported clades are thickened. For complete tree with individual support values, see Suppl. material 2.

Figure 8. Morphology of Sticta tomentosa (Kukwa 15138 c) A upper surface B lower surface with tomentum and cyphellae C apothecia D marginal cilia. Scale bars: 1 cm (A); 1 mm (B-D).